Final Cut Pro: What are AIFF Files?

AIFF files are audio file formats used for storing sound data
on a computer. AIFF stands for audio interchange file format. It was
developed by Apple computers in 1988 and is a very popular audio format
amongst editing professionals. AIFF files are popular because they do
not compress the sound's data, unlike mp3 files. Because they do not
compress the audio data, they take up significantly more hard drive
space. A stereo AIFF file takes up roughly 10mb for every minute of
audio. This is a small amount of data when compared to the size of high
quality video files.

AIFF and Apple

Because the AIFF format was developed by apple, it is the audio
choice of iTunes. Any song you purchase at the iTunes store is going to
be in the high quality, uncompressed AIFF format instead of mp3. Apple
is a company that prides itself on quality, and with AIFF, they have
achieved that in audio data. Likewise, if you're adding your music to
your computer from old CDs, iTunes converts those files into AIFF audio
as well.

AIFF and Editing

What would you use AIFF files for when editing? Well, lets say that
your project has a very complicated sound mix involving a lot of clips
and volume adjustments. If one of these files were to accidentally
disappear then your sound mix will be ruined. It's a good idea to export
your audio as an AIFF file once your editing is complete. You can then
add an audio track and place the AIFF file in your project. Not only
will this back up your audio, but it will also cut down on hard drive
space being used because you can transfer the original files to an
external drive and forget about them for a little while.

You don't want to delete those clips from your project though. Just
simply mute the tracks. If you need to make any audio changes, just mute
the AIFF track, unmute your original audio, make the necessary changes
and export it again. Then, replace the old AIFF file with the new one.

Like WAV and SDII, AIFF is one of the leading audio formats used by
professional audio engineers and professional software. WAV is
uncompressed audio created by Microsoft. These are all rival formats
that offer high quality digital audio. Which format is the best is
really based on one's personal preferences as well as their ears.